Extra help to keep online activity more private
!
WHENEVER YOU GO
online, some of the details
— metadata — of what you
access are visible to anyone who has
access to your network traffic. That
should concern you when you use a
public Wi–Fi hotspot. Even assuming it
uses password–protected encryption,
and you only access https sites, there
are risks, including unwittingly
connecting to a malicious hotspot.
At home the security risks are
lower, but your internet service
provider (ISP) is in the loop. In the
UK, for example, the government’s
plans to make ISPs keep internet
connection records were paused after
legal challenges, but that proposal
hasn’t gone away entirely.
VIRTUALLY PRIVATE
A VPN (virtual private network)
creates a "tunnel" through which all
your network traffic passes to a VPN
server, so nobody else, even your ISP
or the operator of a Wi–Fi hotspot,
can see where you’re going. You can
set it up in System Preferences >
Network: click the + sign near the
bottom left and set Interface to VPN
to configure it manually, or click
the gear and Import Configurations
if you’ve been given a settings file.
Most VPNs aimed at consumers
have their own app to make things
simpler. You’ll need to choose a VPN
whose provider you trust; that lets
you "spoof" the location where you
have to be to access the services you
need; and that isn’t too slow – a VPN
affects connection speed. NordVPN
(nordvpn.com), at $6.99 per month
(1–year plan) or $2.99 per month (3–
year plan), is a recommended choice.TOR BROWSER
A free option is to use Tor Browser
(torproject.org), which provides
similar privacy to a VPN, though it
works differently. The software
bounces your communications around
a network of relays. It’s slow, and
won’t protect traffic in other apps.
Remember, a private connection
doesn’t stop you typing your personal
data in to a bad site.Using a VPN
Opting for a VPN can be pricey, but Tor Browser offers some anonymity for free.
Phishing
signs
1
Ded giveaway
Reputable brands are super
picky about quality control. Poorly rendered
logo? Spelling errors? Unusual–sounding
grammar? It’s fake.2
Don’t panic
“Your account has been
suspended!” Easy, tiger. Even if you think
a warning might be real, don’t click email
links. Go directly to the service in its app
or by typing its address into a browser.
Email issues
ALTHOUGH THERE ARE ways of
encrypting email, they don’t work for
everyday messages between random
users. The body of a standard email is
plain text and relatively easy to intercept.
As for checking where it came from,
everything you see when you read the
headers — in Mail, go to View A Message
— can essentially be faked.
Attachments can contain malware.
This isn’t usually Mac compatible, but
never enter your admin password if
unexpectedly asked when opening an
attachment. Microsoft OL·ce Ľles can
conceal macro viruses; macros (program
code embedded in documents) are
disabled by default, so leave it that way.
Malware can also be activated when you
open a PDF, but using only a reputable,
updated reader app ought to prevent this.
Phishing emails try to fool you into
replying with personal data or entering it
into a fake website. It’s getting harder to
spot fake links, because real ones are
often full of analytics gibberish – but if
in doubt, don’t click through (see %Don’t
panic%, above).Image rights: The Tor Project
maclife.comAUG 2019 37
Stay safe online